Some brands become icons. Think of Nike, Harley-Davidson, Apple, Absolut, Volkswagen—they’re the brands every marketer regards with awe. Revered by their core customers, they have the power to maintain a firm hold in the marketplace for many years. Few marketers, however, have any notion of how to turn their brands into icons, and that’s because icons are built according to principles entirely different from those of conventional marketing. These brands win competitive battles not because they deliver distinctive benefits, trustworthy service, or innovative technologies (though they may provide all of these). Rather, they succeed because they forge a deep connection with the culture. In essence, they compete for culture share.
A version of this article appeared in the March 2003 issue of Harvard Business Review.
